The present invention relates to a new combination tool which includes a roof pitch gage and a method of using same and, more particularly, to a combination tool and a method of use which allows a roofer or other user to know immediately the pitch of a roof or other inclined surface without actually having to read the specific number of degrees involved and thereafter calculate the pitch and also to align shingles for uniform overlap and the like.
In the past, it has been conventional to determine the rise or pitch of the roof by calibrating the pitch in degrees. When the degree is established, it is then transposed into inches of rise per foot, e.g. 9.5.degree. would translate into "2 and 12" (2 inches of rise vertically for every 12 inches horizontally). Such a gage is obviously not convenient for a roofer or an unexperienced person to use and further requires that the roofer carry an extra tool to gage the pitch of the roof.
Heretofore, manufacturers of tools used for roofing have not provided tools which are also capable of assuring uniform shingle overhang, vertical alignment of shingle tab slots and horizontal alignment of each course of shingles even for hip and ridge-lap shingles. Nor have these manufacturers provided a single, simple tool with other features such as a level and pitch gage so that the tool can be used in place of a standard level and thereby eliminate another separate tool.
It has, of course, been known to attempt to combine functions within a single tool to avoid the need to carry multiple tools as shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,782. There, a hammer is described which contains both a vertical and a horizontal level in the handle so that the carpenter may level horizontally each board to be nailed in place just prior to driving the nail.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 2,952,025 shows the combination of a cutting knife and a tape measure in the handle to facilitate measuring cuts, whereas U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,779 discloses a surgical tool which comprises a surgical scalpel having a scalpel blade at one end and a series of metered markings on the shaft so as to make longitudinal measurement as well as a device for measuring the circumferential diameter of an orifice or mouth of a tube or duct at the other end of the tool.
However, up to the present time, no one has yet evolved a satisfactory tool which provides for easy measurement of pitch while, at the same time, provides a versatile multiple tool also having other functions.
Devices for measuring pitch are known, but these devices are relatively complicated and impractical for use in roofing work. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,172,368 discloses a pitchometer for determining the correctness of the surfaces of propeller blades. However, such a device requires the use of recording paper to chart the profile of the blade surface. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 2,421,754 discloses a pitchometer for use in manufacturing propellers which again uses a relatively cumbersome gage rod 28 and protractor plate 32 which is impractical for use in roofing work and other construction work requiring mobility and flexibility.
Furthermore, the tools presently available for, in particular, roofing applications are not adequate to assure with one simple and relatively inexpensive tool a uniform shingle overhang or perfect vertical alignment of shingle tab slots or perfect horizontal alignment of each course of shingles. Moreover, no tool presently available performs the foregoing functions, as well as direct pitch readings, and also eliminates the need for a chalk line to maintain a straight run of hip and ridge-lap shingles.